Regs increase lunch cost and nutritional value

Some new and unusual foods will be appearing on cafeteria trays as students start back to school this week.

Perry County students may encounter items like sweet potato fries, hummus and spinach salad on the lunch menu thanks to stricter nutrition standards from the federal Department of Agriculture (USDA) that went into effect July 1.

The updated standards lower calorie limits and increase the variety and amounts of fruits and vegetables that must be offered, as well as the proportion of whole grains in breads and rice. They also require schools to offer only fat-free or low-fat milk.

The requirements are part of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 championed by First Lady Michelle Obama. Most lunch requirements will be implemented this year. New standards for the school breakfast program will begin in the 2013-14 school year.

The law is aimed at combating childhood obesity, but also comes with a price.

“Cost-wise it’s a hard hit to our pocketbook,” said Kathy Cree, food services director for Susquenita School District. “We’ll be walking a tightrope these first couple months.”

For high school meals, districts must offer five cups each of fruits and vegetables per week, with a minimum serving of one cup per day. They also must meet specific weekly serving amounts for vegetable subcategories: dark green, red/orange, legumes and starchy.

Produce and grain costs have been on the rise with increasing fuel prices in recent years and currently from the drought in the Midwest.

For Philip Schanck, food services director at Newport School District, the dark green vegetable category is tough to attain in a balanced budget. He plans to offer salad that is 80 percent iceberg lettuce and 20 percent romaine. Romaine costs 1 cent more than iceberg lettuce per serving. If 500 students were offered one serving of romaine each school day, it would cost an additional $900 for the lunch program, which Newport contracts through The Nutrition Group, a food management company based in Irwin, Pa.

At Susquenita, Cree said she’s worried about food waste increasing because she must purchase enough of the required options to offer all students, whether or not they will buy it.

Susquenita and Newport school districts have raised their lunch prices this year. Susquenita charges $1.95 for elementary lunch and $2.20 for middle- and high-school lunch. Newport charges $2.25 for elementary lunch and $2.50 for high school lunch.

Roger Carl, Susquenita’s director of financial affairs, said the government is requiring districts to increase lunch prices incrementally over the next few years until the cost charged for a regular meal matches the amount that the government reimburses schools for free lunches. For the 2012-13 school year, the federal reimbursement schools receive for free lunches is $2.86. Reimbursement for reduced-price lunches is $2.45, and reimbursement for fully-paid lunches is 27 cents.

School districts certified by the state as being compliant with the new nutrition guidelines will be eligible for an additional 6-cent reimbursement on all meals starting Oct. 1.

Carl said reimbursements generally cover the cost of food at Susquenita, but not the operational costs of the lunch program. The district allotted $201,000 as “interfund transfers” in its 2012-13 general fund budget to be used for food services. Carl said approximately $115,000 of that is for replacement dishwashers, with the other $86,000 budgeted for salaries, benefits, cafeteria supplies and utilities.

The changes don’t mean all beloved items will be replaced. Cree said she’ll still be serving the students’ favorite meal of chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes, but now it’s a juggling act for her to allow the usual six-piece serving and not surpass protein limits.

The new foods aren’t entirely unheard of, Cree said. Burger King sells sweet potato fries, which many school districts are adding for the red/orange vegetable category. High school students might be a challenge to convince, but Cree is encouraging her staff to be positive and motivating.

Schanck said Newport High School students will have a strong financial incentive to choose the healthy meal. They still can purchase a meal of just pizza and milk at a la carte prices totaling $3.50, but if they add fruit to their tray, it meets federal standards as a reimbursable lunch and they’ll be charged a more economical $2.50.

Convincing younger students to climb aboard the nutrition boat may be easier. Schanck will host “Nutrition Wednesdays” once a month in the Newport Elementary cafeteria. Dressed in a chef’s hat and jacket, he’ll pass out stickers and free samples of healthy foods.

“We have a clean slate with our elementary students,” Cree said. “We’re going to be able to make a difference in the way they eat as they grow up.”